[Pavel]

I have been using Lightroom and I am comfortable with it. I am now switching to CS3. I am doing OK with adjustment layers and with using some filters. I have been using sharpening feature and resizing to Jpeg. The instruction books teach you a whole sequence of commands. I follow the instructions and than forget. I want to try to learn feature by feature. That way, I understand what a given feature can do for me and how to operate a givne feature. let us assume that I am OK on the adjustment layers. What is the next set of features you would learn? (Give me a short ordered list, if you have patience and I will try to follow in the order you give it to me.) I beleive that once I understand what each feature can do for me (conceptually and practically), I will be able to string them together to manipulate images. This would be a great help. Thanks Pavel

[wulinka]

Dear Pavel,

I believe, every photographer has his of her own routine, which can vary according to one's style.
Around her you will find some brilliant advice on Photoshop and I think many will volunteer to give you some directions.

I can't say myself that I am a specialist on PS, I do use CS3 but mostly adjustment layers and you said you feel comfortable with them.
another feature I do use quite a bit is the transform tool, as you saw on Irma's building shot the other day.
You probably know the basics, select image, press apple / str + t and drag edges or corners. you can right mouse click on the area to select
certain transform methods, often "perspective" will be useful. Generally it is worth playing around with the different options to figure out what they do instead of trying to write it down here.
while you drag a corner you can hold down alt or strg+alt which will alter the effect of you dragging the corner, go ahead and try.

If you have already added adjustment layers to your picture before you get to the transformation, remember to link the layers or to flatten you image first. or you can make it one of the early steps of your flow to transform your image, then you don't have to worry about layers.

secondly I have several steps I often use blotted down as actions, so that you can batch process several pictures.
for example, at the end of my treatment I have an action recorded that flattens the image, changes the image mode to 8bit and the color space to adobe RGB. all I have to do is press my selected keyboard shortcut.
to record an action you open the action tab next to the history tab. there is already a set of default actions.
at the very bottom of the tab, the second button from the left is the "record new action" button, press it, name your action as you are prompted,
and then perform the action you want to record on an open image. when you are done recording, press the blue, square button at the very left of the bottom row.


Pavel, I apologize if I am telling you all you already know!

I think other people will be more helpful with specifics on photoshop. Personally I think you should play and try and just press every button you find to see what it does. then you can always ask specific questions around here.
A lot has to do with your style, whether you will need or want to use different color modes or filters etc on your pics.

Have fun developing your skills!

Uli

[Irma]

I have never read a book about CS3 or any other version of photoshop. I have always trusted in tutorials posted in internet. They are in my opinion more actual than a book, but possibly without a book I am missing a lot. I agree with Uli about your style, the way you want to post process your pictures will tell you what to learn first.

My way of working in my images is first correct all lines stright horizon verticals, work my perspective or any distortion I want to make. If my picture is bw, I do any cloning after my bw conversion, if my picture will be color I work my cloning in this step. The first thing I work is my contrast with curves. A good contrast in your picture will give you better colors, your picture could gain some sharpness. After my contrast is right I start working my colors and any other manipulation as adding testures. In the process I work sharpening with unsharp mask or smart sharpness, all depend on the image. I make a test here what goes best with my image about noise if the picture looks better with reduce noise first and then sharpening or the other way round.

Curves is a tool that I use a lot and it took me time to learn all I could do with this adjustment layer. I would suggest you start to work and practice your contrast with curves. Learning how to find your highlight, shadows, midtones, use the droppers to work your contrast more accurately and improve your white balance ... there are so many things that you can do with this tool... What effect you get when you blend this layer to soft light or any other blend mode, after that your very own needs will tell you what to learn next.

I hope you don't find this a bit vage, but I can't say much about aspects you could improve in your post processing as I haven't seen much of your photography. Anyway, if you needed more information just ask, there are more pleople with more experience that could help.

We have the Fix me up! forum. There you can also post a picture and ask for help about how to get any effect you can't get with photoshop in your picture.

[Pavel]

Thank you very much Uli, Irma. Both of you have given me exactly what I was looking for for now - given me the first steps. I never used transform tool Uli. Now that I know about it, I will learn to use it. I guess you use it to correct perspective. I also have DXO (one of my less well thought purchases) which also has this capability. I will play woith both. I have a pile of photos from Europe, which would be a good object for this. One of the books I used so far has made me reord an action. I came across conceptually similar things in office software, so this should be easy for me to learn and use, once I actually have a routine worth recording. At this stage, I am still not shoure what I need. I have been avoiding the use of curves, but I guess the time has come to learn to use them. I do not quite understand blending curves into soft light mode, although I am aware that such mode exists and where to find it. I do not find your comments vague Irma. It would not be fair to ask you to handhold me - I can figure things out. Its just that there are so many featurees with what I perceive as cryptic names I do not know when to start. When I follow a recipe from a book or a tutorial, I find that the emphasis is on which buttons to press, rathe than the conceptual underpining. I like to learn first what my aim is, how does a given feature help me with my aim and only than which buttons to press. You have done exactly that. Thank you both very much for the time and thought you have given me. I am very greatful. Pavel

[NT73]

Hi Dp, I use the very first version of PS. No curves, actions, layer masks, as such, although I can force them.
But the thing is, there are so many (programs) within PS, that I am still finding new things 6 years after I first got it. I find things on the net as tutorials and others by just pressing a key I have not pressed before.
Also you can use plug-ins from third parties which increases the things you can do.
I think if you find an action that you like, you will use it regularly anyway and not forget it.

[Pavel]

Thanks NT73, I know that there is a lot of additional material available. I suffer from a sense of overload. My big problem is to figure out where to jump first. I hope that like you, 6 years from now, things will come naturaly to me. Right now it is baby steps. Thanks Pavel

[Zig]

Version 1 nt?!
Well 'Ard as Millstone Grit, that man!

[Pavel]

I must plead my ignorance Zig, occasionaly I actually beleive I understand your comments (although I am never really sure), but this is not one of them. I guess English is my third language and I live a sheltered life in Canada - that is my excuse and I am sticking to it. If you do wish me to understand, go easy on me. If you do not, I will start responding in Czech. A pak uvidime co se stane s tvyma ocima a jazykem!!! Pavel

[NT73]

Hi Pavel.
Zig is very verbose ( lots of strange words).
Millstone grit is a type of hard sandstone used I believe in the making of wheels to grind corn/grain.
Well Ard is a (sort of complimentary :/) term to describe someone as rugged/craggy/ down to earth.
I am a Yorkshireman and if I can save a penny I will save it, hence version 1 (free)

[Pavel]

Thanks NT73, I now understand the terms, although I am still not sure I understand the message. It is kind of you to explain. I wish my English was better, so that I could join in this linguistic sparing. Pavel

[Zig]

That's OK Pavel, bless you! NT's second language is English too!
(Pavel, yes, I was being complimentary to NT73 but not using standard English..)

Now NT, you know I most definitely do not mean it: I was born just across the border by a couple of miles in N.Notts..

(sigh) OK, yes, a southerner then!

[Pavel]

And thanks Zig. I meant no offense. I was just puzzled. I am glad that you and NT have straightened the issue of southerness as well. And I thought Americans have problems with soutnerness/northerness. Pavel

[Kombisaurus]

Hi Pavel,

I must admit that the following tools/skills count for about 95% of all the photoshopping I do. They are listed below in their order of importance according to me.

1. Curves Layer (the most essential flexible tool ever! It does everything!)
2. Layer Masks (learn how to use masks to selectively apply and blend other layers together - an essential skill)
3. Hue/Saturation Layer (gotta get that colour under control and this is a good generic tool)
4. Noise Reduction (I now use the 3rd party plugin "Neat Image" but I used to use "Noise Ninja" which is also excellent)
5. Sharpening (learning when to use it and how much)
6. Lens Correction (distortion/perspective/wonky camera correction)
7. Channel Mixer Layer (a sneaky way to do things you can't do with curves)
8. Blend Modes (learn how to change the Blend Mode of a layer to put it to best use)
9. Clone Tool (fix those blemishes and remove your ex-girlfriend from your favourite holiday photos!)
10. Gaussian Blur (when used in conjunction with layers and masks it can be a great smoothing tool)

There are plenty of other tools available which I don't cover here, and many provide alternative ways to do the same thing and you might prefer them. For example, many people use Levels layers instead of Curves tweak brightness and contrast, but I find Curves are a *lot* more flexible and useful.
A lot of people also use dodge and burn tools, but personally I never use them. Instead I use a number of stacked curve layers (often just one brightening the image, one darkening it, and both initially with an empty layer mask) and then gradually paint on the layer masks to do the dodging and burning. I find this gives me more control and flexibility but some people may find it cumbersome.

I recently bought the book "Adobe Photoshop CS3 for Photographers" and although I haven't really got my teeth into it yet, it looks to be one of the best photoshop books I've seen so far in terms of writing style and relevence. But it is big and thick and comprehensive, not a quick guide to just the basics.

[Pavel]

Thank you Kombi, this is an exceedingly useful post for me, because it gives me (dare I say it? Is it a bad omen to use the term?) a roadmap to CS3. I will study this in the weeks/months ahaed. Pavel